Chamber and committees

Have the councils expressed concern to you on the issue? Several times this year, I have raised with you the issue of integration joint board funding that has meant that the capital has lost out on resources. As a result of that, we are already not in a great place here in that regard. I wonder whether those concerns have been put to you already.

Given the system and how you plan, what work has been done specifically with regard to funeral support payment? Forty per cent of eligible people are not applying for that payment.

Emma Roddick says that the Conservatives criticise the Scottish Government, but she will be fully aware that the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, of which we are both members, and the Finance and Public Administration Committee are also raising those very concerns with ministers. It is important to put that on the record.

Reviews are built into the system to look at such matters, and that is important. What is also important is how the system is being reformed, in the UK and in Scotland. I welcome that, and it is the work that I want to take forward in the committee.

Despite the SNP-Green Government’s motion for the debate, it must be said that the establishment of Social Security Scotland has not all been plain sailing. As Jeremy Balfour stated, we are all fully aware that SNP ministers have had to hand back to the DWP their administrative role with regard to many of the payments. I have to say, though, that I welcome the positive comments that the minister has often made in committee on the relationship between the two organisations. They have to work together, and we must ensure that they succeed in making our welfare system in our United Kingdom and here in Scotland work for everybody.

It is important to recognise the context in which today’s debate is taking place. Indeed, the minister stated it at the beginning: the global cost of living crisis is impacting on the most economically vulnerable individuals and families across the UK. That is why both of Scotland’s Governments need to work together to address the pressures and to support people through this period.

It is also why we have called for and supported the delivery of targeted benefits by Social Security Scotland. In addition, it is worth reflecting on the fact that £243 billion of support is being delivered by the UK Government and the Scottish Government together to focus direct support on the most vulnerable families in Scotland and across Britain.

I am absolutely happy to do that.

SNP ministers have not put in place the full welfare system, despite the many promises that we have heard and, indeed, as was promised ahead of the 2021 elections. Audit Scotland continues to express concern about the challenging timescales for delivering all of the new devolved benefits. I have stated previously, and I state again today, that it is in all of our interests for Social Security Scotland to succeed and to deliver efficient and cost-effective assessment and payment systems. That said—I am sorry to tell SNP members this—it is the role of Opposition parties to hold ministers to account on these matters. We must focus on making sure that the delivery of Social Security Scotland is effective and that the outcomes that we all want are indeed delivered.

A few members have highlighted certain issues that I hope that the minister has taken on board. Alexander Stewart made an important point about the digital divide and why people might not be taking up the payments that are available, and Pauline McNeill raised the important issue of the funeral support payment for those who are planning funerals. Why have 40 per cent of the people who are entitled to that payment not taken it up? It is a real issue that ministers should have tackled by now.

Sharon Dowey referred to her work on the Public Audit Committee and talked about the Government ensuring that it takes an efficient look at value for money for the taxpayer. That is important. I also point out that the Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee and Finance and Public Administration Committee have raised concerns with the Scottish Government about its data collection system not being fully in place.

Foysol Choudhury made an important point about the projected costs for Social Security Scotland and delivering our welfare system. As of today, those costs are over £290 million, which equates to 10 per cent of its total resources for delivering payments, compared with the figure of 6 per cent for the Department for Work and Pensions. I know that those costs are projected to come in line, but we have had no data to allow us to see where we are and whether all of that is, as I hope, on track. I know from discussions with Social Security Scotland that that is the projection, but we need to hold ministers to account for it.

Today’s debate presents an important opportunity to highlight the need for greater transparency, which is something that all the Parliament’s committees have been highlighting and asking for. Audit Scotland has stated that the implementation costs of the new devolved benefits have not been routinely reported on in the public domain, and that situation needs to change—and change quickly—because it makes it difficult, if not impossible, to have the kind of proper scrutiny that we all want.

With regard to some of the other points that were raised earlier, the minister highlighted 90 per cent satisfaction with Social Security Scotland, but that was as the benefit system was being rolled out. As more benefits are being rolled out, it is concerning to note that client complaints have increased by 74 per cent in the space of one year. I note and welcome what the minister said with regard to looking at the appeals system and redeterminations. It is important to be sure about why there have been rapid increases in complaints around Social Security Scotland. We all want that to be addressed.

The Scottish Government needs to make clear its long-term vision for Social Security Scotland and lay out practical steps that it is taking to make sure that the body is more transparent and accessible to the public on the delivery of the new system.

The debate has brought up another matter. Some members raised the issue of independence and what they want to see, but there is a key part of Scottish public finances that no SNP member can get away from and that can be expressed simply, in two words: the Barnett formula. We are spending £8.5 billion of Scottish taxpayers’ money because of the Barnett formula. I welcome that, because it is an important part of redistribution, and ministers and members of the SNP and the Green Party cannot simply wish that away—it is the size of the NHS budget in Scotland. Independence would leave an £8.5 billion black hole, and we need honesty from SNP and Green members over what would be cut.

One of the key things that today’s debate has brought to the fore is the future, and this week’s announcements show the future around our public finances. We must all work together to deliver Social Security Scotland and the payments for the people who desperately need them.

Will the member take another intervention?

At the Social Security and Social Justice Committee, we have heard again and again that in Scotland the SNP-Green Government is currently looking at there being a £760 million black hole in future welfare policy payments by the end of this session of Parliament. Where will that money come from, and why do you think that the Deputy First Minister did not touch on that in the two statements that he has made to Parliament?

I start by thanking members for supporting my motion for debate today. I also want to invite members to attend the photo call that will take place on the garden lobby steps at 1.35, following the debate. I hope that members will be able to join us.

I think that we would all agree that one of the greatest honours that come with being an MSP is the opportunity that it presents to meet remarkable people. One such person is Jen Hardy, and I am delighted that she has joined us today in the public gallery, alongside Ian Pirrie, the new chief executive officer of Cancer Card.

I first met Jen Hardy in March 2018, when she successfully campaigned alongside women with incurable breast cancer and the Breast Cancer Now charity to help to deliver access to the secondary breast cancer drug Perjeta. I am pleased that the cabinet secretary said that those discussions continue, and I note that, yesterday, he engaged with the continuing campaigning work of Breast Cancer Now.

Jen was diagnosed with stage 4 incurable breast cancer on 18 October 2017, after having a CT scan to find out the cause of her paralysed vocal cord. While searching for cancer support, she noticed that there was no single place or online resource that listed the hundreds of different support services, support providers, information channels and free experiences that are available to people living with cancer, and their families.

It was that realisation that prompted Jen, who has an information technology background, to work to establish Cancer Card in order to create a single online point of access for anyone who is affected by cancer so that they can find the help and support that they need. Cancer Card, which was launched in May 2022, provides a detailed index of support services that are available, helping individuals navigate what can often be a complicated and complex world of cancer.

It is hard to believe that something like Cancer Card did not exist until now. I know that it is incredibly hard to have the difficult conversations with someone living with cancer about their treatment journey and, indeed, to ask the many personal questions that a wife, husband, mother, father, sister, brother, daughter, son or friend might want to ask. That is where Cancer Card is so wonderful: it recognises the questions and support that are involved in reaching more than just the person living with cancer but their families, friends, employers and professionals. It is available any time of day or night, when questions might be asked or answers or support might be sought. It also acts as a directory of key contacts for all United Kingdom cancer charities and support services.

One in two of us will develop cancer in our lifetimes. Over the past six years, in my time as co-chair of the Scottish Parliament’s cross-party group on cancer—alongside Jackie Baillie—one of the regular requests of many clinicians, charities and groups has been for access to the support services to be improved and made more readily available. That is what Cancer Card offers.

The significant impact of a cancer diagnosis on an individual’s life is immense, with the potential to render them feeling lost, frustrated, fatigued, isolated or financially disadvantaged when trying to obtain information of a non-medical but nonetheless essential nature. At a time when people living with cancer, and their families, need the most support, it can often be difficult to find the right information at the right time for the right person.

Cancer Card seeks to address that through the online support hub, where those affected by cancer find invaluable insights from the Cancer Card community and access to local and national cancer support charities and services, including financial help, exercise classes, counselling and local support networks. The advanced search and filtering options allow users to create a bespoke search based on their individual needs. That is very important. I ask those who have not had the opportunity to see cancercard.org.uk for themselves to visit it, please.

I pay tribute to and thank all the charities and organisations that provide information, help and advice to people and families living with cancer. We owe those organisations a huge debt of gratitude. The difference that they make to people’s lives, including those living with cancer, is significant across our country.

I believe that Cancer Card can and will elevate cancer support charities and services and help to promote their invaluable offering. There is no cost to users or charities for the services that are listed. That presents a great opportunity for local groups to highlight what is available in different localities across Scotland.

The Scottish Government is currently undertaking work on the new cancer strategy, which I welcome. That presents an opportunity to reset and reconsider how support and advice are provided in Scotland and across the United Kingdom, and especially to reconsider how, during and following the pandemic, access has shifted online. I hope that the new strategy can embrace Cancer Card and that the fresh new approach can provide the information and advice services that people living with cancer and their families and friends so desperately need and want to access.

I thank members for allowing this debate to take place, and I look forward to hearing the contributions to it.

That is very helpful. As you say, we have a framework here in Parliament, which is available. I imagined that local authorities would be following that as well, so I am disappointed to hear that that has not been the case.

On the issue of member support groups, which you touched on, do you see different services being provided depending on the size of councils and the numbers of councillors who are being supported? Given that each council sets different rules and has different systems in place to support elected members, are national standards needed? Some of my Conservative colleagues who have joined councils have been surprised by the lack of secretarial support in some areas, whereas in other councils they have been very pleased with what has been provided. Does that need to be pursued?